Read Online Tracks of Her Tears by Melinda Leigh - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Melinda Leigh
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on the money. Now Seth not only drank the same Flavor Aid as the rest of the town, he chugged it. So without asking any questions, Seth steered through a three-point turn. If Patsy said Bruce was out here, Seth would keep looking until he found him.
“Okay. We’re going to drive the same road in the opposite direction. Some of the woods we just drove through are thick.” There were also ravines and rocks and some fairly steep grades that could make a vehicle invisible to passing motorists. He glanced in the rearview mirror. “I’m going to drive slower. Patsy, you just do your thing.”
Whatever that was.
They passed back into the forest. Snow clung to branches and covered the ground on both sides of the road, covering any tire tracks. Twilight was falling, casting the woods in darkness. Snow swirled in his headlights. He glanced at the dashboard. The temperature had dropped to twenty-five degrees and was forecast to hit a rare low for southwestern Oregon.
Two miles down the road, Patsy sat up straighter. “Slow down.”
Seth did as he was told. The Jeep crawled along, snowpack grating under the tires. Then he saw it. A gap in the foliage. He pulled over. Putting on his hat and gloves, he said, “Carly, call Sheila and give her our location. Stay in the car while I check this out—”
Patsy was already opening the door. She buttoned her coat as she picked her way across the slippery shoulder. Seth jumped out and hurried to his mother-in-law’s side. He put a gloved hand under her elbow. She was hardly frail, but her petite frame had appeared to shrink since Bill’s death, and in his father-in-law’s absence, Seth found himself increasingly protective toward her.
A flashlight beam cut through the twilight. Carly appeared next to them. “I texted Sheila.”
Seth brushed some snow off the ground at his feet. Tire tracks leading into the woods cut through the dirt. A vehicle had gone off the road here.
“Please let me go first.” Seth took the flashlight and moved away from the women. He shone it down through the thick foliage. The ground sloped downward. His boots slid on a patch of ice. Reaching for a tree trunk, Seth got his feet back under his body. He parted the underbrush and caught a glimpse of blue below him.
“I see something.” Seth pushed his way through. Some of the branches were broken, but many had sprung back into place, hiding the vehicle’s path. He skidded another ten feet down the slope. At the bottom of the ravine, a blue cargo van rested nose-down, its hood obscured by evergreen branches. The rear bumper, sticking up in the air, was dented. Black paint streaked the chrome. Had someone in a black vehicle smashed into Bruce’s van?
Seth’s heart double-timed as he skidded the rest of the way down the slippery slope. His body didn’t stop until his hands hit the bumper. The van listed to the left, on the driver’s side. Seth went to the other side and hoisted his body up onto the passenger door. The window was broken. Shards of glass littered the interior.
Bruce!
His brother-in-law was slumped over the deflated air bag on his steering wheel. Dried blood from a cut on his temple caked the entire side of his face. His seat belt held him upright. The dashboard had folded, the twisted interior of the car pinning him in place. The console box was open, and an emergency Mylar thermal blanket was tucked around his upper body.
Please don’t be dead.
Seth reached into the vehicle, but his arm wasn’t long enough to touch his brother-in-law. He squirmed until his entire torso was inside the vehicle. Pulling off his glove with his teeth, Seth reached for Bruce’s neck. He nearly wept with relief when a weak thud hit his fingertips.
Bruce was alive.
But his skin was cold and his breathing shallow. Ignoring the tearing of his coat on a glass fragment, Seth wiggled out of the car. “He’s here! Call for an ambulance and a rescue crew,” he shouted as he scrambled back up the slope.
“Okay. We’re going to drive the same road in the opposite direction. Some of the woods we just drove through are thick.” There were also ravines and rocks and some fairly steep grades that could make a vehicle invisible to passing motorists. He glanced in the rearview mirror. “I’m going to drive slower. Patsy, you just do your thing.”
Whatever that was.
They passed back into the forest. Snow clung to branches and covered the ground on both sides of the road, covering any tire tracks. Twilight was falling, casting the woods in darkness. Snow swirled in his headlights. He glanced at the dashboard. The temperature had dropped to twenty-five degrees and was forecast to hit a rare low for southwestern Oregon.
Two miles down the road, Patsy sat up straighter. “Slow down.”
Seth did as he was told. The Jeep crawled along, snowpack grating under the tires. Then he saw it. A gap in the foliage. He pulled over. Putting on his hat and gloves, he said, “Carly, call Sheila and give her our location. Stay in the car while I check this out—”
Patsy was already opening the door. She buttoned her coat as she picked her way across the slippery shoulder. Seth jumped out and hurried to his mother-in-law’s side. He put a gloved hand under her elbow. She was hardly frail, but her petite frame had appeared to shrink since Bill’s death, and in his father-in-law’s absence, Seth found himself increasingly protective toward her.
A flashlight beam cut through the twilight. Carly appeared next to them. “I texted Sheila.”
Seth brushed some snow off the ground at his feet. Tire tracks leading into the woods cut through the dirt. A vehicle had gone off the road here.
“Please let me go first.” Seth took the flashlight and moved away from the women. He shone it down through the thick foliage. The ground sloped downward. His boots slid on a patch of ice. Reaching for a tree trunk, Seth got his feet back under his body. He parted the underbrush and caught a glimpse of blue below him.
“I see something.” Seth pushed his way through. Some of the branches were broken, but many had sprung back into place, hiding the vehicle’s path. He skidded another ten feet down the slope. At the bottom of the ravine, a blue cargo van rested nose-down, its hood obscured by evergreen branches. The rear bumper, sticking up in the air, was dented. Black paint streaked the chrome. Had someone in a black vehicle smashed into Bruce’s van?
Seth’s heart double-timed as he skidded the rest of the way down the slippery slope. His body didn’t stop until his hands hit the bumper. The van listed to the left, on the driver’s side. Seth went to the other side and hoisted his body up onto the passenger door. The window was broken. Shards of glass littered the interior.
Bruce!
His brother-in-law was slumped over the deflated air bag on his steering wheel. Dried blood from a cut on his temple caked the entire side of his face. His seat belt held him upright. The dashboard had folded, the twisted interior of the car pinning him in place. The console box was open, and an emergency Mylar thermal blanket was tucked around his upper body.
Please don’t be dead.
Seth reached into the vehicle, but his arm wasn’t long enough to touch his brother-in-law. He squirmed until his entire torso was inside the vehicle. Pulling off his glove with his teeth, Seth reached for Bruce’s neck. He nearly wept with relief when a weak thud hit his fingertips.
Bruce was alive.
But his skin was cold and his breathing shallow. Ignoring the tearing of his coat on a glass fragment, Seth wiggled out of the car. “He’s here! Call for an ambulance and a rescue crew,” he shouted as he scrambled back up the slope.
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